Chapter 6
760 Words
By the time I returned to the keep, the sun was beginning to set. I had spent too much time at the lake.
I ran into the kitchen and met up with Evelyn breathless from my run.
"Where have you been? You need to get ready!"
"I lost track of time at the lake." My cheeks flushed with the lie.
"For a moment I was happy because I thought you had run. It would have been the smartest thing you could do." She ushered me to a stool next to the fire. "There is still time to get out of here. Harold and I have a little money saved up, you could have it. "
I reached up and grasped her worn hands in mine. "You know me well enough to know I will never run. It is not who I am. Plus I could never leave you and Harold behind. You are my family." She reached up and cupped my cheek.
"Sit down and let me braid your hair."
It took longer than normal to brush my hair out and let it dry. By the time she was finished, I had a crown of fire atop my head with small tendrils flowing down to frame my face. She reached into her pocket and procured a small tube of lipstick. She turned the base and a small blood-red cylinder emerged from inside.
"It's too much!" I said.
"You must!" She said. "The Luna gave this to me specifically and said you needed to wear it."
I turned my eyes to the floor. There was the reminder that I was not getting ready for some exciting party, but rather for my torment.
I let her apply the thick lipstick to my already pouty lips. I could feel its velvet texture as I rubbed my lips together. She hugged me and ushered me to the doorway.
"You had better get dressed before the guests arrive." She lightly kissed my cheek. "We will be watching him." The gentle reminder filled me with dread of what was to come.
"Do not intervene. No matter what." I grabbed her by the shoulders and made her stare into my eyes. "You cannot stop this from happening. Whatever he has planned, it must happen, so we can have peace again." I pulled her in for a short hug. "I could not bear it if anything happened to you."
I left before she could comment and headed straight to my room.
This time, there were no guards at my door. No one aimlessly cleaning the halls. There was no need. Bruxum would wait until this evening to dole out his displeasure.
There was a large black box on my bed with a red ribbon. The note attached read : You are to wear this dress exactly as it is. -Luna
I opened the box to find, to my surprise, a satin dress so lovely and well-made, that a small smile crept up my lips. I pulled the red fabric from the box and watched it cascade onto the floor. I stepped out of my working clothes without messing up my hair and slowly stepped into the dress. The tiny straps hid nothing, so I would have to put my bra straps under my arms. I pulled my straps off my arms and tucked them into the cups of my bra.
I slid the dress on, hoping you wouldn't be able to see my underwear line through the dress. I pulled the dress up and... You could see everything!
The plunging neckline was centered between two thigh slits that went clear to my hip. There would be no wearing a bra or underwear, at least not the ones I owned. I turned and looked at myself in my scratched-up mirror. The dress was stunning but it revealed everything. Never would I have felt comfortable enough to wear it outside my room, let alone to a party full of influential members of our pack.
That is the point. In an instant, it all became clear. This was his punishment - He would parade me around as if I were his willing w***e.
And I would be. For tonight. This evening for all appearances, I would look like whatever he was searching for. I would play the timid she-wolf, and be embarrassed to be on his arm. I would do whatever I needed to for him to feel as if he won.
I laughed to myself. He had won. I looked like a virgin concubine heading to my very first soirée.
- Writer
